Science | afternoon nap Why You Need a Nap at Work So the boss can get more out of you By Polly Davis Doig Posted Sep 29, 2010 3:31 PM CDT Copied A Chinese man naps during a cool afternoon in Beijing, China, Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Remember in kindergarten they used to make us take naps? Turns out your office is a lot like kindergarten, and your boss should be handing you a mat, writes Tony Schwartz at Fast Company, and here's why: Memory: Subjects in a Harvard memory study who napped "sustained their performance all day long. Those who didn't nap performed increasingly poorly as the day wore on," Schwartz writes. Reaction time: Pilots given a 30-minute nap on long flights saw their reaction time improve by 16%; non-nappers' reactions fell off by 34%. You get the idea. So if "the more hours we work continuously, the greater the toll on our performance," Schwartz writes, then why aren't more employers encouraging a little shuteye? "If encouraging employees to take a half-hour nap means they can be two or three times as productive over the subsequent three hours—and far more emotionally resilient—the value is crystal clear. It's a win-win and a great investment." Read These Next Minneapolis shooter had a plan—and grievances. The Air Force has changed its tune on Ashli Babbitt. Open that wallet big time for a trip to Disney, if you can afford it. A 'tense' clash with RFK Jr. led to CDC chief's trouble. Report an error